Exiled Among Mortals
by Abbyforth
Summary: AU: In an instant, the war between Jotunheim and Asgard takes a sudden, peculiar turn in an unforeseen direction. Now, Frigga finds herself fleeing with Farbauti, exiled Queen of Jotunheim, and their two young sons, in a desperate attempt to protect the infant Jotun prince. Backstory to 'The Sky-Elves'.


**A/N: Hello, everyone! Welcome to my first foray into Marvel fanfiction. This started out as an excuse to write little Thor and Loki fluff, but it obviously grew into something more. Even though I have written more stories for the Marvel fandom, I have just gotten around to posting this. If you are reading my other story, you know that my good friend and sometimes collaborator GoldenEagle13 is awesome. I want to thank her for making this story much richer in detail than it would be otherwise!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own anything that you will recognise.**

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oOo

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The night the strangers appeared on our earth, the realm known to them as Midgard, it stormed heavily, a most uncommon occurrence for late January. The local meteorologists were stumped as to how one minute it was perfectly dry, and then a rather violent storm appeared out of the blue, complete with thunder and forks of lightning, in a place where heavy storms never happen. Namely Clifton, Arizona, one of the driest places in the country. Unsurprisingly, the storm made the evening news.

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"Heimdall, is all prepared for our departure?"

Frigga, wife of Odin Allfather, waited nervously in the observatory as the all-seer of the nine realms bent over the Bifrost, its glowing light throwing the gatekeeper's careworn face into sharp relief. The ornately decorated walls of the domed structure curved around them, the Bifrost Turret waiting patiently in its neutral position—aimed at the stars directly above. Heimdall gave no answer, his attention fully focused on operating the portal that would take her away from the growing war. A sharp, impatient tug at her hand reminded her that she would not make the trip into the unknown alone. "What is it, Thor?"

Not for the first time, she wondered if this was the right thing to do for Thor. Asgard was his only home, and he was old enough to understand that they were leaving his known world behind. Frigga pushed down her latest stab of worry and indecisiveness and was brought back out of her thoughts by Thor's annoyed shout of, "I am hungry! Can we leave yet?" He pressed his warm cheek against her hand, looking up at her with pleading blue eyes.

Frigga just smiled fondly at her son and answered as calmly as she could, "Food shall be had as soon as we get to Midgard. Please do not ask me again." Thor promptly stopped fidgeting and stood still after that, waiting.

"Is it wise to tell him where we are going?" Frigga jumped at the low, nervous voice to her left. She had been distracted thoroughly by Thor, and now could face the main reason she was leaving the realm of the Allfather… Farbauti—or rather, the small, still bundle she carried, wrapped in a spare cloak.

When Odin had returned from Jotunheim without an eye, dragging the widow and son of King Laufey behind him, Frigga's patience with her husband had been sorely tested. Nevertheless, in the days that followed, Odin had explained as best he could while news of the war continued to trickle in, and Frigga had seen the wisdom of her husband's decision.

After Laufey's death at the hands of his traitorous lieutenant, the Jotun King's brother Hrothgild had instigated a coup and declared a renewal of the bitter war between the Jotun and Asgard—and Hrothgild was known for his lack of mercy and scruples. Odin had withdrawn his forces hastily and garrisoned whatever pathways to and from Jotunheim he knew of, effectively laying siege to that entire realm—and in a moment of pity, he had rescued the rightful heir to the throne of Jotunheim and the woman who had been its queen.

But he had known, as he always did, the pattern of events that would follow. Hrothgild was a murderous fiend who had always craved the power of his brother's throne; and he would let nothing stand between him and that power—even if that one thing was a small, dark-haired babe who now bore the Asgardian name of Loki. Hrothgild would find a way out of Jotunheim; he would break into another realm, most likely Asgard, and bring the war to Odin.

But there was one realm that had been sealed off, one place that was safe. Ever since the beginning of the war, when the Jotuns' mercenary exploits had brought so much grief to the people of Midgard and caused an ice age, Odin had cut off every route to that realm save for the direct use of the Bifrost, protecting the ill-equipped humans from the devastation of the Jotuns. Now, it would serve him well again, when he sent the wife and child of his bitterest enemy there to protect them until Hrothgild was dead and Asgard was made safe once more.

And they would not be going alone…

At first, the Queen of Asgard had refused to be sent into exile; her husband needed her here, to stand beside him. But Odin had taken the time to convince Frigga of all the reasons why she should go, for which she was eternally grateful; Thor would be safe, she would be safe, Farbauti would have someone to look after her—and the king would not be in constant worry over his family while he was trying to protect the rest of his people.

A fierce and unheralded attack in the middle of the night was what had brought her so suddenly to the Bifrost, without the intended preparation or provisions, on the edge of a leap into the unknown. It had taken only a brief conversation with Heimdall to get her to where she stood now. The gatekeeper had been quite relieved when Odin had brought Frigga and Farbauti to him, and had quickly found the perfect place—a small town on Midgard called Clifton—for the four of them to settle.

"All is ready for your departure, my queen." Heimdall's welcome voice cut through the silence of his domain; Odin was gone now, called back by the fighting. Frigga carefully took the slightly cool, clammy hand of the other woman, who she would be living with, and gave it a gentle squeeze. Farbauti did not return the sentiment—not that Frigga had expected her to. It would take time for the displaced queen of the Jotun to accept her new life, and she had a feeling that Thor and Loki would have a long way to go before accepting each other as she hoped they would—like brothers.

"We are leaving now?"

Thor could never keep quiet and still for long, his mother thought fondly. "Yes, we are leaving. But I need to carry you, or you might get lost in the Bifrost…"

Thor immediately allowed her to lift him into her arms and hid his face in her shoulder. She suddenly realized that her arms weren't shaking from nerves. "I won't really get lost in the Bifrost, now will I?" Thor asked in a small voice against her shoulder.

Frigga sighed and caressed her fingers through his blond locks, trying to comfort herself as well. "Not now, you will not. I did not mean to frighten you… Will you be alright?" She felt her son nod and his small arms wrap around her neck, trying to get as close to her as humanly possible.

Heimdall beckoned the two women towards the Bifrost, and Frigga stepped purposely towards the vortex. It took half a second to notice Farbauti had not moved, and another for her to notice wide, sleepy green eyes staring around in wonder from the safety of her arms.

"I hoped that he would sleep through this… I suppose that was wishful thinking on my part…" The other woman, moving like one caught in a dream, stepped up next to Frigga, trying in vain to extricate her dark hair from Loki's curious fingers. Frigga considered the other woman carefully—she looked like an Asgardian now, Frigga had made sure of it—but there was still that hollow, haunted look in the Jotun Queen's eyes.

"I will be watching the realms in your absence, and the Allfather will always know how you are faring. Do not fear: the Jotuns will not get through to Midgard. Not on my watch," the gatekeeper assured the two, his piercing golden eyes solemn as they rested on the four travellers… And then he had turned the sword in the slot and the vortex began spinning and Frigga closed her eyes against the blinding light…

They landed with clouds of dust kicked up by the sudden wind. Frigga could see little through the haze, but her first impression was flat, empty land. And then her attention was jerked to the child in her arms, as Thor's frightened voice rose over the wind and sudden heavy rain: "I am sorry! I can't make it stop! Mother, help me!" Lightning forked the sky mere feet from the rapidly disappearing vortex and Frigga set her son down as if she had been burned. She had been so careful to hide Farbauti's alien Jotun form… why had she not factored in the fact that Thor's control over thunder—or lack of—would ruin their chances of normalcy? There had been so little time to plan… Odin had done his best, but Frigga now realized that they were not prepared in the least. The storm was gone as suddenly as it had been summoned, and her son collapsed on the ground, unconscious.


End file.
